Jesus wasn’t led by his own mind; he was led by the mind of his Father. Listen to his words:

“I can do nothing on my own. I judge as God tells me. Therefore, my judgment is just, because I carry out the will of the one who sent me, not my own will.”—Jesus, John 5:30, NLT

“For I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken.”—Jesus, John 12:49, NIV

“Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. ²⁰ For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, and he will show him even greater works than these, so that you will be amazed.”—Jesus, John 5:19-20

Who are we to think we can do anything on earth without first consulting God, asking for His Will and Direction?

Balaam, the sorcerer who summoned all kinds of spirits, learned quickly that God was in firm control over the Israelite people He was blessing.  Balaam is now being used by God to speak through him to Balak who tried to bypass God, buy his way out of a difficult situation, with the arrogance of going against God’s Plan. 

Here’s what God said through an obedient Balaam…

Numbers 24

Now when Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel, he did not resort to divination as at other times, but turned his face toward the wilderness. ² When Balaam looked out and saw Israel encamped tribe by tribe, the Spirit of God came on him ³ and he spoke his message:

“The prophecy of Balaam son of Beor,
    the prophecy of one whose eye sees clearly,
⁴ the prophecy of one who hears the words of God,
    who sees a vision from the Almighty,^[a]
    who falls prostrate, and whose eyes are opened:

⁵ “How beautiful are your tents, Jacob,
    your dwelling places, Israel!

⁶ “Like valleys they spread out,
    like gardens beside a river,
like aloes planted by the Lord,
    like cedars beside the waters.
⁷ Water will flow from their buckets;
    their seed will have abundant water.

“Their king will be greater than Agag;
    their kingdom will be exalted.

⁸ “God brought them out of Egypt;
    they have the strength of a wild ox.
They devour hostile nations
    and break their bones in pieces;
    with their arrows they pierce them.
⁹ Like a lion they crouch and lie down,
    like a lioness—who dares to rouse them?

“May those who bless you be blessed
    and those who curse you be cursed!”

¹⁰ Then Balak’s anger burned against Balaam. He struck his hands together and said to him, “I summoned you to curse my enemies, but you have blessed them these three times. ¹¹ Now leave at once and go home! I said I would reward you handsomely, but the Lord has kept you from being rewarded.”

¹² Balaam answered Balak, “Did I not tell the messengers you sent me, ¹³ ‘Even if Balak gave me all the silver and gold in his palace, I could not do anything of my own accord, good or bad, to go beyond the command of the Lord—and I must say only what the Lord says’? ¹⁴ Now I am going back to my people, but come, let me warn you of what this people will do to your people in days to come.”

Balaam’s Fourth Message

¹⁵ Then he spoke his message:

“The prophecy of Balaam son of Beor,
    the prophecy of one whose eye sees clearly,
¹⁶ the prophecy of one who hears the words of God,
    who has knowledge from the Most High,
who sees a vision from the Almighty,
    who falls prostrate, and whose eyes are opened:

¹⁷ “I see him, but not now;
    I behold him, but not near.
A star will come out of Jacob;
    a scepter will rise out of Israel.
He will crush the foreheads of Moab,
    the skulls of all the people of Sheth.
¹⁸ Edom will be conquered;
    Seir, his enemy, will be conquered,
    but Israel will grow strong.
¹⁹ A ruler will come out of Jacob
    and destroy the survivors of the city.”

Balaam’s Fifth Message

²⁰ Then Balaam saw Amalek and spoke his message:

“Amalek was first among the nations,
    but their end will be utter destruction.”

Balaam’s Sixth Message

²¹ Then he saw the Kenites and spoke his message:

“Your dwelling place is secure,
    your nest is set in a rock;
²² yet you Kenites will be destroyed
    when Ashur takes you captive.”

Balaam’s Seventh Message

²³ Then he spoke his message:

“Alas! Who can live when God does this?
²⁴     Ships will come from the shores of Cyprus;
they will subdue Ashur and Eber,
    but they too will come to ruin.”

²⁵ Then Balaam got up and returned home, and Balak went his own way.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

No one has the power, position, or potential to thwart or stop the plan of God.  No one. The sooner we look up to God and listen intently to Him; our perspective of who God is comes into focus.  The more we realize He does indeed fulfil Him promises; everything in us begins to change.  Our thoughts about Him will change. Our everyday responses to life will transform, even surprising us. 

Believers who commit to following the King of kinds and Lord of lords will be changed moment by moment to be more like our Lord, Jesus Christ—the One who saved us and set us free from sin. 

We learn that when we follow the God who never fails, our failures seem less significant and realized more as lessons to learn from on our faith journey.

Balaam couldn’t contradict the word of the Lord because he had blessed Israel, and no one could undo it. The word of God stands. Period. And no one and nothing can reverse, negate, or cancel it. We can be confident that God always keeps his word.

“Help, Lord, for no one is faithful anymore;
    those who are loyal have vanished from the human race.
Everyone lies to their neighbor; they flatter with their lips
    but harbor deception in their hearts.

May the Lord silence all flattering lips and every boastful tongue—
those who say, “By our tongues we will prevail; our own lips will defend us—who is lord over us?”

“Because the poor are plundered and the needy groan,
    I will now arise,” says the Lord.
    “I will protect them from those who malign them.”
And the words of the Lord are flawless, like silver purified in a crucible,
    like gold refined seven times.”

Psalm 12:1-6, NIV

God is God.  We are not God. Our God is a covenant-keeping God.

Lord,

Thank you for your Word that shows us who you are and all you do for our good as we trust, obey, and give you glory!

In Jesus Name, Amen